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IM PR ESS DUCKS DOGS University of Oregon PRSSA | Vol. 3 | Issue 1 Your Winter Break To-Do List + Hear from PRSSA Alumni Kylee Plummer

UO PRSSA Newsletter - Fall 2014

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Page 1: UO PRSSA Newsletter - Fall 2014

IMPRESS

DUCKS♥DOGS

University of Oregon PRSSA | Vol. 3 | Issue 1

Your Winter Break To-Do List

+ Hear from PRSSA Alumni Kylee Plummer

Page 2: UO PRSSA Newsletter - Fall 2014

UO PRSSA and Greenhill Humane Society partnered together on Oct. 30 to put on the Ducks Love Dogs event on the Memorial Quad lawn. Ducks Love Dogs allows students at the University of Oregon to “rent” dogs and play with them from 15 to 60 minutes. It’s a great opportunity for students whose housing does not allow animals as well as students who miss their own dogs at home to receive a little puppy therapy. Proceeds from this event benefited both UO PRSSA and Greenhill Humane Society.

Ducks Love Dogs was a successful day filled with fun and ended up raising around $400 to support both Greenhill and UO PRSSA. Over 50 students showed up to play with the pooches.

Dear PRSSA members, friends and supporters,In the past three months, UO PRSSA has accomplished more than we expected when we entered our planning stages in summer 2014. As we approach another term filled with many opportunities that will broaden the value we promise to our members, I couldn’t be more proud of our hard work this term. During this short amount of time, we created a systematic process for our agency tours that put the education and safety of our members first that was launched at our fall tours in Seattle. We also successfully launched our Peer Mentorship program with 10 students and are looking forward to continue the program alongside our Professional Mentorship program next term.

These major accomplishments couldn’t have been possible without the support and confidence of PRSSA members and SOJC faculty members sharing their feedback of what we could be doing better. Looking ahead, I am excited for our newest programming addition, PR Boot Camp, being held on campus with five Portland PR agencies. As our executive leadership team finds ways to increase the value of our membership, we hope to bring a new experience for public relations students within the School of Journalism and Communication. Join us next term as we partake in new adventures!

Thank you for your continued support,

Abigaelle Mulligan

FROM THE PRESIDENT

DUCKS♥DOGS

SNAPSHOTSAbigaelle Mulligan | Chapter President

Hannah Osborn | UO PRSSA PR Director | @hannahmarieoz

“Luckily, the rain held off until the event was over so everyone was able to stay dry,” said UO PRSSA Events Director Baylie Waller. “Everyone appeared to have a great time!”

More than 50 students and faculty rented twelve furry friends at $8 dollars for 15 minutes, $15 dollars for 30 minutes or $30 dollars for one hour. Along with raising funds, the event provided students a much needed study break from midterms and an outlet to curb homesickness and separation anxiety from their own pets.

Missed out? Ducks Love Dogs will return spring term for another fun day with the Greenhill pups!

Page 3: UO PRSSA Newsletter - Fall 2014

Videography? Make a video combining your love for shooting and editing with your love for your local animal shelter. Writing? Write freelance stories about things that interest you and see if anyone will publish them. Designing? Collaborate with that girl from high school who just started her own business and design her logo. Be creative and expand your experience.

Learn something new.This can be a tricky one to do in just a month, but even just skimming the surface of broadening your knowledge can get you closer to where you want to be. For example, my goal is learning how to build a website through WordPress over break.

And lastly, relax.Go to the cheesy holiday festival with your family. Watch movies. See your friends and make travel plans to visit them in the spring. Read a book in your favorite hometown coffee shop. Do all the things that aren’t possible or realistic when you’re staying up till 2 a.m. writing that history paper that’s due tomorrow, because after all, the month will go by quickly and you’ll once again be swamped.

The first term of the year has come to an end and the heavy stress of finals no longer weighs on your shoulders. The plans are set, flights booked, and your mom has called to confirm almost ten times. You start to remember what it’s like to sleep in, eat home-cooked meals, and do that thing time never allows for anymore – relax. However, most college students fail to realize all that free time is a gateway to opportunity, productivity, and success. Here are a few ways you can be proactive with your college career over break:

Hunt for summer internships.It’s never too early to plan out your summer. In fact, for many popular internships the applications are due before the end of winter. It’s better to start now with no homework to do, than in January when the chaos of midterms is in full swing. Also, don’t forget to reach out and make a memorable impression so you’ll stick out when they’re making their selections.

Job shadow.Not exactly sure what field you want to get into? The only way to find out if you will truly enjoy it is through experience. Make a list of three possible careers choices and find out if there’s anything similar near where you’ll be over break. Call and ask if there’s any chance you could job shadow just for the day, and don’t forget to ask whoever you’re shadowing questions. After all, it’s possible you’ll be in their shoes one day.

Start applying for scholarships, now.Regardless of where you’re at in your college career, scholarships are always beneficial. Not only do they help you financially by taking some of that future stress of student debt away, but they can ease your checking account too. Plus, they’re always a great addition to the “awards” section of your resume.

Create something beneficial to add to your portfolio. Take on your passion and just let it flow with this one.

YOUR WINTER BREAK TO-DO LISTBrooke Adams | External Relations Committee Member

With fall term coming to a close, winter break is a great opportunity to schedule an informational interview. Sitting down with someone in the company or position of your dreams allows you to gain knowledge that you can’t find on a company’s website. However, finding the right way to ask for an informational interview can seem intimidating at first. Here are a few tips on how to contact someone for an informational interview:

Research: Before reaching out to anybody, look into a specific company and find out what that company does, what they supported, and recent projects they’ve done. Then think of related questions you might want to ask. This will help to narrow down where it is you want to contact.

Reach Out: Once you find the person you want to talk with, study

up on them. Find out where he/she has worked, went to school, and other work related information. Then think about the best way to contact that person. Some interviewees prefer to call the person directly. This can be done by calling the main number for the company and asking to be transferred. If your phone call is not answered, hang-up. Leaving a message is not best, as the person you are trying to reach does not know you. If they do answer, make sure you have a 30-45 second speech prepared on why you are interested in getting in contact. Also sending an email is a safe bet and allows you to craft your message to make a good impression. As with a phone call, make it clear why you would like to talk with them.

Be Direct: When you finally get in contact with the person and are working to set up an interview, be direct. PR professionals are busy and don’t want to deal with college students who are beating around the bush. Tell them right away that you are calling or emailing about finding a time to schedule an informational interview. Next, explain why you chose the company and that particular person. Maybe you found out that he or she started as an intern and is now working as a manger. Flattery can help you catch their attention and make them more willing to schedule the interview you’ve been chasing.

Although contacting people for informational interviews can seem intimidating at first, just remember that most people are more than willing to tell you about themselves and exactly what their jobs entail. Make sure you have thoroughly researched the company and arrive at the interview prepared with a list of questions. Don’t assume the interviewee will lead the conversation for you, this is your interview and you must take charge.

HOW TO ASK FOR AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWAustin Zerbach | External Relations Committee Member

Photo Credit: shallowend via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Daniel Foster via Compfight cc

Page 4: UO PRSSA Newsletter - Fall 2014

MARK YOUR CALENDARSJANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

2.4

2.11

2.12-13

2.18

2.25

Chapter Meeting1.14

1.28

1.29-30

1.31

3.4Winter Workshop

Series (WWS): Personal Branding & Social Media

Winter Agency Tours in San

Francisco

PR Bootcamp

Rhythm & Blooms V-Day Flower Sale

WWS: Pitching

WWS: SOJC Advising & Resume

Tips

WWS: Speed Networking & Interview Tips

WWS: Job Search

Chapter Meeting

Life after graduation can be daunting, but Kylee Plummer has navigated it like a pro. Kylee is a recent graduate from the UO public relations program. During her time in the SOJC, she was actively involved with PRSSA, serving as the 2013-2014 Event Director. She’s now living and working in Portland and took the time out of her busy schedule to share about life after college and her tips for seniors.

Where are you currently working and what are some of the projects you are working on?I am currently working at Edelman Portland as an Assistant Account Executive working on a mix of consumer and tech clients. Right now, I’m my clients include HP and Travel Portland. Some upcoming projects will possibly include Emerald Nuts and Starbucks. It’s really a large variety! My job involves a heavy amount of media monitoring, measurements, analytics and a lot of writing – which I love.

What does your typical day look like?A typical day includes monitoring the different social platforms for brands I’m working with, pulling reports for them on a weekly basis and performing a lot of research. In a typical day (I think at most agencies), there are a lot of meetings. I would say about 70 percent of each day consists of meetings, and I think that’s why with PR you have such flexible hours. You’re always on and fitting different tasks, brainstorms and planning into each day. You could have a somewhat easy day head home at 6 p.m. or you could have meetings most of the day, as well as a few deadlines that require you to work pretty late – but that doesn’t happen all the time! This is just a great example of how varied your days can be in an agency setting. Always busy and always learning new things – but always exciting and challenging!

PRSSA ALUMNI: KYLEE PLUMMERShelby Nelson | External Relations Project Manager | @shelbybriann

What has been your greatest obstacle in your new job?This may sound a bit cliché, but my biggest obstacle has been trying to find a good balance for using my time wisely. This job requires you to really prioritize and manage your time. Going straight into agencies from graduation has forced me to get a lot better at this – so has my planner.

Do you have any advice for senior PR majors?Get involved! Do something! Get an internship and/or get involved in PRSSA and AHPR. It really makes a huge difference. Also, make sure you network like crazy. Networking is honestly one of the main reasons I landed where I am now. Go to events like Portland Paddle; it’s so much fun and you end up meeting the most inspiring, smart, wonderful people. Get involved, brand yourself in a positive way, network, network, network and the rest will fall into place. Honestly, if you work hard and have an end goal, you can do it all. Go for it.

“Stay involved until the end because you never know what will make the difference in landing you the job you want.”

“It’s exactly what they say; you’re never doing the same thing and you never know what you’re going to be working on. It’s very exciting.”

Photo Credit: Callie Gisler

*These dates are subject to change.